Michael Gambon, a gilded actor of the screen and stage, recently passed away due to “a bout of pneumonia,” per Yahoo News.
In a statement to the press, his family declared that they were “devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside.”
While Gambon was a well-known and accredited actor who spent the last six decades dedicated himself to the craft of acting, the most notable role he was often cited to was Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise. Gambon took over the role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when the original Dumbledore, Richard Harris, tragically passed away after the second film.
Though Gambon was a replacement for the beloved Hogwarts professor, he gave a lot of depth to the role and allowed Harry Potter fans to get a glimpse into Dumbledore’s gray areas and part of his personality that made him more human than wizard.
However, the most notable moment for Gambon in the franchise was his absolutely over-the-top reaction in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The fourth movie and book in the franchise, it followed Harry Potter and his friends as they tried to navigate the elusive and deadly Triwizard Tournament, a witch/wizard all-star game that could lead to certain death.
Though only witches and wizards above the age of 17 years old could compete, Harry’s name was pulled out of the Triwizard Cup, or “Goblet of Fire,” which served as the main prize for the games. Harry, understandably as a 14-year-old boy, was incredibly confused at how his name came to be in the cup.
After being pulled into Dumbledore’s office, various teachers and Dumbledore himself rushed to see how Harry managed to pull off the impossible. However, for those who read the book, they know that Dumbldore calmly asked Harry how his name was in the cup, as he was known as a super nice headmaster.
Thankfully, Gambon didn’t play Dumbledore in a sweet way and gave Potter fans the funniest and most memorable line in the series as he basically manhandled Harry and said, “HaRrY DiD Ya PuT Ya NAmE In Da GobLeT oF FirA?!”
This one moment will always be the funniest moment in the entire franchise and that’s thanks to Gambon putting his heart and soul into the role. Dumbledore was a hard role to take on, but he did it flawlessly.
(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures)
